PS 3539 
.fl55 114 
1902 
Copy 1 



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Class _iS^i5,i3_ 



CoEyright))". 



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COHfRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



U^ V' 



How plain does it appear that there is not another 
condition of life so well suited for philosophizing as 
this in which thou now happenest to be. 

Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. 



The Meditations 
of 

Ali Ben Hafiz 

By 

LeeRoy J. Tappan 



938 A. D. 



T^3'SS^ 






the' LIBRARY 6f 

COMQRESS. 
Tv»o C0HE6 Recsived 

SE^ 1902 

CorymoKT ehthv 
C«.A8« ^ XXa N». 
C OPY B. , 

^yright 1902 



By LeeRoy J. Tappan 



Of this work there have been 
privately printed on antique laid, 
deckle edge paper, one hundred 
and fifty copies, this being number 



I'd 



The Meditations 
of 

Ali Ben Hafiz 




I. 



HE Omnipotent One willed it 

And in the immeasurable, placed 
By unseen, subtle forces, 

The World evolved from out the waste. 



II. 



The Master Potter ^ on the revolving wheel 
A vessel of unusual beauty wrought, 

And, breathing on the senseless clay 
Man into life is brousfht. 



'fc>' 



III. 



Empires rise and fall ; Babel rears to heaven its head, 
The Egyptian Pharo's to build temples and pyri- 
mids are led ; 

A Cyrus or an Alexander the nations mould ; 
War, Famine and Flood, the scrolls unfold. 



IV. 




YER flying on pinions never weary, 

Legion are they who by the Wings of Death are 
brushed ; 
The Earth with open arms outstretched, 
Welcomes her own, dust unto dust. 



V. 



Each has a part in this great Drama passed 

Before the Ages, whose setting Earth, the time Eter- 
nity, Humanity the cast ; 

And through all the changes as the Play proceeds 
He sits alone a witness of the first act and the last. 



VI. 



One taste from the brimming cup 

And lo ! there stands another waiting for his sup, 
Ready the place to occupy, 

Where, short before the other stood so soon to die. 



VII. 



Across the sky a lurid glare, 

And quickly all again is dark ; 
Or pausing a brief hour its light to share 

Is gone, and we remaining understand, in part. 



VIII. 



The fated hour soon makes its round 
When for that trackless shore are bound 

The mortals who in this lone sphere 

Are doomed to joy, to sorrow and to fear. 




IX. 



F, through the darkness we emerge to Light, 

Then through what existence came we ere this 
present PHght ? 
And to what Harbor gains the evolving Soul 

If, by many changes reaching in time, its logic 
right ? 



X. 



In all its splendor breaks the Dawn 

Heralded by Horsemen in golden armor clad ; 
Earth throws aside her misty coverlet to yawn, 

Her varied life resumes with pleasure, yet is sad. 



XL 



Standing on the World's edge who first the gleaming 
Heralds greet, 
Bathed as are the valleys in a broad band of shining 
gold ? 
And who a parting gives to these horsemen on steeds 
so fleet, 
Galloping across the sky, away, and into what Un- 
told ? 

XII. 

Bach smiling morn a thousand Roses brings. 
Each eve, on leaf and flower, a dewdrop clings ; 

Withered the Rose of yestermorn, vanished the spark- 
ling drop. 
But the same hand that gathers, in abundance flings. 

XIII. 

In the Magic Hall of Echoes stood I in seclusion. 
Where every echo seemed the Voice it mocked. 

Thrusting the keen Lance of Truth in each Illusion, 
Through some flaw left for my confusion. 




XIV. 

INTO the Globe of Destiny did look, 

Whose crystal depths a measureless well did seertij 
Whose waters quickly many colors took, 
Changing, ever changing in a varied gleam. 



XV. 



A million ! yea, ten thousand times a million, were the 
scenes before me passed. 
Cried a Voice from out the Darkness, " Short your 
life time ere the last." 
Why ? Whence ? and Vv^hither ? which in the Globe to 
solve I looked, 
Acknowledge I with swimming senses, are far be- 
yond the mortal grasp. 



XVI. 



The Wind played o'er the Strings of a Harp in a 
window set. 
Sweeping with passionate touch like the voice of a 
wandering Soul outlet. 
Or lingering fondly with caressing fingers, 

Whispering Voices of the Unseen, the pensive listen- 
ers abet. 



XVII. 



At midnight, wild the mourning from the breeze-swept 
silver strings, 
"We the Voices of the Restless Wind, 
Ever onward, never ceasing, this for us each hour 
brings. 
Sobbing, moaning for the Rest we never find." 



XVIII. 




S the restless Wind so is the Mortal life; 

A Dawn, a Bosom, a Sob, then Night; 
Man passes Existence's fleeting hour in strife, 

Not knowing Whence nor Whither ; could this but 
questioning incite ? 



XIX. 



We are Phantoms of the wind like ye ; 

All Life offers are but passing breezes on the chang- 
ing strings : 
Love, the Rose, thy Friends, if enduring this would 
pleasure be, 
But having drunk Life's Cup, Death, the dregs into 
our faces flino:s. 



XX. 



I, Pleasure in the Courts of Love have sought, 

'Mid scenes on which a thousand times I've thought, 

And though each scene the same sweet flavor leaves, 
To me. Repentance ever says : *'Thy time too 
cheaply bought." 



XXI. 



Through halls of marble, cool as Himalayas' snow, I 
went, 
O'er whose alabaster roof there ran rich carvings 
which great beauty lent ; 
And down the sides to lattices and woven round the 
dome, 
Jade, onyx and the jasper stone in wonderous inlay 
blent. 




XXII. 

ROM portals of carved cedar wood, curtains red, green 
and gold were himg ; 
Feet deep into rich carpets sunk o'er whose making 
generations sung; 
Lamps of chased silver fed by perfumed oil from the 
Roof swinging, shown like soft lights from the 
heavens flung. 

XXIII. 

A fountain with the ripple of hushed music filled the 
scented air; 
The basin where in it fell, of marble white with pink 
veins was wrought, 
In whose clear depths fish, red and gold, like pleasures 
share ; 
And over all such rest and comfort as the Prophet's 
promises declare. 

XXIV. 

From arched and latticed windows, a scene of natural 
beauty spread; 
Far off against the azure sky, mountains where Allans 
Chosen pled ; 
Nearer, like islands rising from a golden sea of grain, 
stood 
Gardens pleasant, and groves of palm trees the til- 
ler's humble hut o'ershed. 

XXV. 

Time quickly passed as in these fair halls I lived for- 
getting. 
Where Music whispered through the bloom, 
And amorous song, voluptous dance, lithe fofms in 
rythm stepping 
To the tinkling zyther's soothing notes, enraptured 
by the dreamy tune. 



XXVI. 




NE face often in the mirror of the Past I see; 

Hahma with thy lips of musk, eyes bright, spark- 
Hng as the stars of night, 
Whose form, equaled, cannot even by the Sultan's 
favorite be; 
Open ever were thy arms in whose embrace all 
cares took flight. 



XXVII. 



But why me do past experiences beset ? 

If not to remind that soon I too the same caravan 

may join 
Where short before, I Halima farewell bade with 

fond regret 
That one so young must spend her valued treasure, — 

Life's golden coin. 



XXVIII. 



The western sky with pink and gold was flecked, 

As to prayer - from a minaret a muezzin called, 
'Twas then I heard Halima's wooing voice so short a 
time by Azrael ^ checked. 
Say : " So great my love that not from thee by Death 
is walled." 

XXIX. 



How calm in peaceful slumber dreams the sleeper, lo ! 
When Life is passed and cold in Death is he not even 
so ? 
From the faded roses o'er his grave gone perfume and 
beauty, but where ? 
The lamp of oil is drained, wither has gone the flame, 
can'st show ? 




XXX. 

HE garlands bright, the costly incense show slight 
respect, 
If in Life the silent one was never decked 
With beautious wreaths, not merely once, but often ; 
The Living , not those in the shadows past can feel 
neglect. 



XXXL 



The wanderer returns and with his bride 
A million cycles of Eternity to abide ; 

The nuptial couch is ever thus prepared 

For those who through the Gloomy Portal stride. 



xxxn. 



When for you and 1 the silent gates asunder swing, 
Who can tell whether Joy or Sorrow will bring 

The first glance of wonders from within the frowning 
Portal ne'er passed save by the Entering ? 



XXXIIL 



From this far country where great hosts sojourn, 
Who has ever seen a caravan return 

From without the haze, or e'en 

A single weary one the Secret learn ? 




XXXIV. 

OR this long journey a multitude prepare, 
Some with hopeful joy declare, 
Others ever living in To-Day 

No vague Mirage of To-Morrow share. 



XXXV. 



The Sultan in his gorgeous tomb is laid, 

Nations mourn, and tribute from all men is paid ; 
But in that place where name of slave and sultan is for- 
got, 
Such are as ashes on the simoom's breath, thus for 
all the lot. 



XXXVI. 



Mohammed to the Faithful, Paradise holds out ; 

Gautama, Zoroaster and the Nazerene 
Each their respective versions shout. 

Whose devotes declare their own the only mean. 



XXXVII. 



If by a lonely pilgrimage I the Sacred Mecca ^ gained. 
Or Buddha Gaya, where Prince Siddartha ^ the per- 
fect enlightenment attained : 
Will these to the mortal brain a soothing balm apply, 
Thinking, as do a multitude, to be by Penance sus- 
tained ? 




XXXVIII. 

H ! what confusion and to what complications led 
By the two and seventy jarring sects , ^ 
Each "The Right," and saved he who this selects ; 
Did not the Tower of Babel rear to Heaven its 
head ? 



XXXIX. 



A sage bent with weight of years, once said to me ; 

" Life's cup is brimming with Hopes that but allure 
to flee. 
With Joys that vanish while we sip ; 

Pleasure and Creed no more than a Delusion be." 



XL. 



Of a verity, 'tis a foolish state 

To pass hours away in debate. 
When Rubies kindle in the Wine, 

And flowered barge, the lute and Love await. 



XLI. 



Think' St thou that when this life is passed, 
'Twill be whether thou did'st dine or fast, 

Or whether from that table of engraven stone 
Thou did'st learn the lesson of forgiveness cast ? 



10 




xui. 

NE sip from thy Jar replete, 

To the wanderer in the Desert thou do'st give, 
Wilt not the Wise One to thy account 

A reward direct in that Hereafter thou may'st 
live ? 



XLIII. 



When the sailor to reach the Ethiopic Ocean stears 
Through that strait of perils called '' The Gate of 
Tears," ^ 
He thinks of loved ones mourning him as dead, 

And trusting in a mightier Power chokes down his 
fears. 



XUV. 



We'll trust, as hither and thither is blown 

The frail bark, that GOD is not alone 
Given to wrath, but may guide us to a 

Harbor safe, unknown to clashing Sect or sacred 
tome. 



XLV. 



The Rose, thy Love and Time, quickly pass away, 
Best not to mourn for things of Yesterday ; 

Bowers still by the river bloom, other loves await; 
Thy present happiness will Sorrow and Regret out- 
stay. 



II 




XLVI. 

OVE is sweet, but as dust into dust mingle 

The fond breasts which pillow and the lips which 
tingle 
In caress ; Alas ! that all this beauty is to disappear ; 
Both faded, the fair rose from the common, impos- 
sible to single. 



XLVII. 



My Orient Pearl, of the apples from Istkahar, ^ 

Only the honeyed half is best by far 
For thee and me, who naught but sweets desire, 

Too soon the Bitter must we taste, our love to man 



XLVIIL 



Love's song and the zither's notes are for the Night, 
For Day, he who us the Potion of Forgetfulriess 
gives, is Sleep; 
My Heart's Desire, come pledge thou me aright, 

To-Night we laugh, who knows ? To-morrow we 
may weep. 



xux. 



The wine's not made from grapes that yet must grow. 
Neither from the grapes that last year grew ; and so 

This Present Harvest is alone the Juice ; 
Live in To-Day, let Past and Future go. 



12 



L. 




OHAMMED says; ^ " In the Battle's ardent heat, 
All who Death in valor meet, 
For such, beckoning Houris in the skies. 

Welcoming to gardens fair, midst Eternal Joy re- 
plete." 



LI. 



Tell not of fancied pleasures in the skies, 
Of dark-eyed, waiting ones in Paradise ; 
The chance to cross the keen-edged scimetar of Al- 
Sirat ^° 
Is small indeed; thou must for me another way de- 
vise. 



LII. 



Those there be, wholly to carnage and the Koran given. 
Who think each time their blades into an unbeliever's 
heart are driven, 

The more direct their path to Heaven 

And joys unspeakable for which they've striven. 



LIIT. 



Great Alia ! Art Thou not with anger shook 
When such as these before Thee stand, 

Claiming as their guide inspired, the book 

Mohammed in his fertile brain has. planned ? 



13 




uv. 



NE cannot wash his spirit clean in blood 
Of either human or the beast, 
Nor gladden GOD by crimsoning the altars in 
a flood 
From sacrifices offered up by priest. 



LV. 



The tempting lips, the grape's sweet juice, 

From these and many more, which in this world are 
placed. 
Saints and Sages would abstinence induce ; 

Why, if here placed, should not the many gifts be 
tasted ? 



LVL 



The tawny lion is to subjection brought, 
By man's supremacy its boldness looses. 

And this same lesson should the flesh be taught, 
If man, as his own master, a little moderation uses. 



LVIl. 



Some give to the dust with one toss, the flower of Life, 
Others slowly, one by one, the wine red petals scatter ; 

To win Ambition's fleeting goal, ever the strife. 
This the highest aim, they themselves do flatter. 



14 




LVIII. 

OLOMON in all his glory could not win 

The splendor of the lillies, which neither toil nor 
spin, 
And man through life, a ceaseless effort makes 
In striving for a wordly estimation, bubble thin. 



ux. 



Perchance thou wilt gain the favor of those 

Whose caprice, like their kingdom, comes and goes, 

And when in the high place thou dost stand. 

Do not forget, the Sower only gathers as he throws. 



LX. 



The bubble on the beaker's brim shines 

For a moment, but to break, and To-Day finds 

Us awakening from the dreams that seemed so fair ; 
The slip between the Cup and Lip oft changes our 
designs. 



LXI. 



Down through the corridors of Time 

Comes echoing the story of the After- Life; 

Some hear and muse, others drown sober thoughts in 
Wine, 
Not caring to discuss the question rife. 



15 




LXII. 

F this present garment which the Soul wears for a 
while 
Is but of Mortal weave, why wear this hurnble 
garb, if free 
To don a Royal Robe for this which may defile ? 
Why not burn the Rags, and seize the cloak of 
Immortality ? 



LXIII. 



Certainty marches in the funeral line of Doubt, 

And says to the wondering ones who stand without, 

**Life is short, but Oh ! the cycles of Eternity ; 

Why waste the Present in Future Hopes devout?" 



LXIV. 



My Soul through other spheres journeyed afar, 

To rend the Veil so thin, and yet so dense as to de- 
bar 

Us from all Knowledge of the After- Life. 
Which may be, or may not, 'tis about on par. 



LXV. 



In time my Soul returned to me 

And said, " In thy world both Joy and Sorrow be ; 
The Joys of Paradise or the Agonies 

Of Al-Hawiyat both abide in thee." 



x6 




hXVl. 

HE body ! 'tis but an earthen jar, 

Which serves a purpose, and when, as before 
The Shard is Earths, the Treasure so far 
By it hid is there no more. 



LXVII. 



One tries to turn from the embrace of Sorrow, 
And looking for Pleasure in some Tomorrow, 

Halts wondering, to see her face smiling through 
Tears, as she asks if he would pleasure borrow. 



LXVHI. 



Once, standing by a date palm full of bloom, 

I calculated on the store of fruit ; 
'Neath that same palm I stood days after, yet so soon, 

And blasted were the buds ; the cause to a desert wind 
impute. " 



LXIX. 



Time turns Life's pages with a ceaseless hand. 
Whether in Mecca or in Samarkand : 

Though storm clouds gather or mild zephers blow. 
Through all, fast falls the golden sand. 



17 



LXX. 




ELL, let them turn, shall not we tune 

The lute, and in some bower with roses strewn, 
Pass time away 'till breaks the dawn ? 

Reminding of sweet hours past, alas ! too soon. 



LXXL 



Who knows where the Gennii ^^ hid 
The jeweled cup of ^^ King Jamshid, 

Sparkling full of Life's Elixir, bidding 

The Thirsty drink and of Death's fears be rid ? 



LXXIL 



Into the Labyrinth of Human Fate 

I went, wandering with longing innate, 

That the Secret I might discover ; 

Alas ! the entrance was the exit and I insatiate. 



Lxxm. 



Nor can they answer, Sun, Stars or Moon, 
The mourning Sea, the Earth in bloom ; 

They to this question silent are, 
Although with the Infinite in tune. 



i8 



LXXIV. 




HEN in the Hand of the Wind you and I 

Are swept into Eternity, the few who sigh, 
And of our Coming and Departure know, 
May miss us for a while, but not for aye. 



LXXV. 



Repentence ! I with him many a discussion share, 
And oft'times to his way of thinking brought ; 

Though me he never a censure spare, 
All my musings come to naught. 



LXXVI. 



Every draught drank in the palm's cool shade 

Is but a balm to past sorrows laid, 
And he who carefully the jeweled cup abstains. 

How much more the pass to future happiness 
obtains ? 



Lxxvn. 



Does the Wise One, scales in hand. 
Change by one weight, more or less, the life of man ? 
Or do the Three, without remorse, without fatigue, 
To bring success or failure, ever league ? 



19 



LXXVIII. 




HERE, indeed, is Life's satisfaction sent? 

To him who in the palace dwells with slaves on 
every hand ? 
Or to the humble one with labor bent, 

Who sustenance obtains from one free source, the 
land ? 



LXXIX. 



Oft'times the water from the earthen bowl 

Tastes bitter, perchance the bitterness comes from 
thy Soul, 
Or the clay of the bowl, once man, never looses 

Mortality's keen flavor, even though in different 
mould. 



LXXX. 



The emerald on thy forehead gleaming like a serpent's 
eye, 
The jar on whose contents, for daily food, the ^'^ 
sacred doves rely. 
The sparkling wine cup and we who drink ; 

All can to no higher source than clay their origin 
imply. 



LXXXI. 



The bird through its freedom a joyous life leads ; 
Trying never the unatainable to reach by foregoing 
deeds ; 
But man the slayer, being wise, is by 

His very wisdom plagued, yet for greater wisdom 
pleads. 



20 




LXXXII. 

HE sandal to act a lowly port is suffered, 

And if it hurt thee either at the heel or toe, 
Blamest thou the sandal with dust o'er covered ? 
Or dost wonder why then did'st it the Maker 
fashion so ? 



LXXXIII. 



Summer ended, through the golden haze the swallows 
flit away, 
Again returning after they the winter blasts outstay : 
Beware! Words and deeds from us go out; 

To-morrow, or years hence come back and interest 
on the principal repay. 



LXXXIV. 



The Ruby in thy armlet sparkles with a brilliant light. 
But not without much rubbing came the polishing 
aright; 

Nor is man perfected by a Life all Joy and Ease; 
The Battles of his making are alone his own to fight. 



LXXXV. 



As light from darkness is discerned, 

So good from bad is by the contrast learned ; 

Were Sorrow foreign to this world. Pleasure would 
its keen flavor loose. 
And Life without the spice would soon be spumed. 



21 




LXXXVI. 

KNOW of an isle in ^s Oman's Sea, 
Whose banks of pearl and coral be, 
Washed by waters of a sapphire hue, 

There to live and love together, what felicity ! 



LXXXVII. 



Its velvet turf is shaded by the fair palm tree. 

The Rose and Jasmine yield sweetness to the honey 
bee; 
'Tis here cool fountains, perfumed breeze and song of 
birds 
Would share in making this a paradise for thee and 
me. 



LXXXVIII. 



The Wine a cooling in the spring, 

And thou beside me in dreamy voice to sing 
Of thy true love ; for this, gladly 

Would I from me an empire's sceptre fling. 



LXXXIX. 



Tune not the zyther high, neither tune it low, 
For the string too tight soon breaks and away go 

Charming notes, then if too low, the string is silent ; 
" Tune then the zyther neither high nor low." 



22 



xc. 




GYPT, whose life depends on Nilu's sacred flood 
Of tears, wept by Isis o'er ^^ Osiris dead, 
Thou land of mystery where virgin to the river god 
is wed ; 
Where from its bath of tears blooms forth the 
lotus bud ! 



XCI. 



^Twas on this murky, brooding stream. 
That Antony with Cleopatra did dream 

The hours away, and awoke to find 

The World's crown lost, and likewise all esteem. 



XCII. 



Oh ! to solve the riddle of the silent Sphinx ! 

Who through the ages with that knowing smile 
Has sat the same, with eyes that never shrink 

From desert sun, nor heed passing nations the while. 



XCIIL 



Into great depths plunges the diver. 

And with a priceless pearl emerges ; 
Despair not, in darker depths hidden for the gallant 
striver 
A pearl, in value a king's ransom, lies washed by 
ocean surges. 



23 




XCIV. 

LrEACHING in a scorching land, 

Found I, with sorrowing thoughts, a skull, 
Not knowing, died the traveller in the sand, 
That nearby an oasis bloomed his thirst to lull. 



xcv. 



When in thy wanderings a strange path thou takest, 
And falling into some dark pit, its dangers to thy 
mind recalls. 
So that another time, thou for thyself a safer way 
makest, 
More cautious and the wiser for thy falls. 



XCVI. 



Oh, glorious Night! How brightly gleams thy cres- 
cent diadem. 
And how the ^^ bulbul in mellow notes pours forth 
ecstatic song ! 
Life is sweet in such an hour, with dewy gem 

On leaf and blossom ; all Nature tries this vision to 
prolong. 



XCVII. 



Nor can David's song compare with thine. 

To whose entrancing notes the stars with greater 
brightness shine. 
As though 'twere not interrupted by the garish light 
Of Day, but continuous, ever sweeter, a melody 
divine. 



24 



XCVIII. 




H Music ! great is thy heart touching power, 

When soft from the lute, through the moonhght 
is steaHng, 
Thy voice which invites in that magical hour, 

To cares throw aside, Love's presence only feel- 
ing. 



XCIX. 



vStrange when the heart cannot be 

Softened by such melody : 
If GOD gave means to discover His existence, 

Then surely Nature is the simplest key. 



C. 



The Air, the Rose, the Mountain ; in each is HE, 
Though not imprisoned in his own handiwork: to 
flee 
From HIM ! impossible^ His life continues through all 
Time; 
The Only, when no more are Sun, Earth and Sea. 



CI. 



Vain the endeavor to measure the Immeasurable, or 
sink 

The plumb of thought into the Fathomless, to link 
The Finite with the Infinite ; awed by the 

Depths between, we, back into the shadow shrink. 



25 



CII. 




ND when for me this Life shall end, 
Lay me not in sepulcher, but trend 
Thy way to mountain top, there, from the urn, 
My ashes afar on the winds of Heaven send. 



CIIL 



Thus it may be in Egypt's pillared Halls 

Of Denderah I'll rest, or breeze carried where falls 
The scented dew oe'r India's ancient soil, from whose 

Teeming millions The Brahmana ^^ a varied service 
calls. 



CIV. 



'Midst revelry, as the wine cup to my lips I press, 
I think of those beneath and make a guess 

That a ^^ libation poured to earth may reach 
The lips long silent, yet parched no less. 



CV. 



Of Babylon's wonders much is seen. 

How Nebuchadnezzar for his Median queen 

^° Gardens unexcelled in beauty built. 
Watered from Euphrates' stream. 



26 



CVI. 




EAVY indeed is the hand, 

That o'er that once fair, glorious land 
The seeds of dissolution sowed 

Where wonders great by man were planned. 



CVII. 



From the entangling Web of Fate can'st see 
Thy freedom ? That which is to be, will be. 

Never can'st thou escape thy shadow ; 

It is with thee always, wherever thou dost flee. 



CVIII. 



^' Israfil, thou Angel of the Melodious Voice, 
If I could hear thee sing and had my choice 

From all the anthems to select, 'twould be 

The Anthem of Eternity, to Doubt disperse and me 
rejoice. 



CIX. 



The same sun that from the East, 
Lighting Mecca's gilded tower. 

Smiled when at the Wise One's touch, 
Clay breathed to show HIS power. 



27 



ex. 




HE dewdrop slips into the gleaming Sea, 

Neither taking from nor adding to, apparently ; 
The wavelets whisper, the great waves moan 
'In sending forth the Eternal Melody. 



CXI. 



When thou about thee the garment of oblivion hold, 
Fear not lest horrid visions be to thy sleep unrolled, 

But smiling to the friends around thy couch, 

Into blissful ease incline, as thee the mystic arms 
enfold. 



TAMAM 




38 



Here endeth The Meditations of Alt Ben Hafiz, 
as written by LeeRoy J. Tappan. Privately printed 
under the personal supervision of the author. Done 
in August, MCMII. 



29 



Notes 



Note I. The Potter's art is not only the most common, but 
the most ancient of all arts, and so the simile of the Pot and the 
Potter to man and his creator, is found in the Literature of the 
World, in nearly every country. The Hebrew Prophets make 
this comparison as do the writers of the present day. 

Rom. 9-21. Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the 
same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dis- 
honor ? Also see, Isa. 64-8. 

Jer. 18-6. O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this 
Potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the Potter's 
hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 



Note 2. The Mohammedan muezzins, from the minarets of 
the many mosques which are so numerous in the countries of 
Islam, call the Faithful to prayer five times a day, the appointed 
season being just after sunset, at nightfall, at daybreak, near 
midday, and in the afternoon. 



Note 3. Azrael, one of the archangels, regarded as the 
Angel of Death. 



Note 4. Mecca the most sacred city in the Mohammedan 
world. The " Follower of the Prophet " who makes the pilgrim- 
age to Mecca has the right and distinction of wearing the green 
turban. 



31 



Note 5. It was at Gaya (since called Buddha Gaya), that 
Prince Siddartha attaining Nirvana, became the Buddaha. Ac- 
cording to Indian philosophy, Nirvana is the acme of perfec- 
tion. 



Note 6. The seventy-two Religions which are supposed to 
divide the World ; some say, including Islamism, others not. 



Note 7. " The Gate of Tears ;" the straite or passage into 
the Red Sea, commonly called Babelmandel. It received this 
name from the old Arabians, on account of the danger of navi- 
gation, and the number of shipwrecks by which it was distin- 
guished induced them to consider as dead, and to wear mourn- 
ing for, all who had the boldness to hazard the passage through it 
into the Ethiopic Ocean." — Richardson. 



Note 8. " In the territory of Istkahar there is a kind of ap^ 
pie, half of which is sweet and half sour." Ebn Haukal. 



Not g. * * * "Verily God hath purchased of the true 
believers their souls and their substance, promising them the 
enjoyment of paradise; on condition that they fight for the cause 
of God; whether they slay or be slain, the promise for the same 
is assuredly due by the law, and the gospel, and the Koran. And 
who performeth his contract more faithfully than God ? Re- 
joice therefore in the contract which ye have made. This shall 
be great happiness. Chap, ix, Al Koran, Entitled, The Declara- 
tion of Immunity. Sale. 

" There are they who shall approach near unto God ; they 
shall dwell in gardens of delight. (There shall be many of the 
former religions ; and few of the last) . Reposing on couches 
adorned with gold and precious stones; sitting opposite to one 
another thereon. Youths which shall continue in their bloom for 
ever, shall go around about to attend them, with goblets, and 
beakers, and a cup of flowing wine; their heads shall not ache 
by drinking the same, neither shall their reason be disturbed ; and 
with fruits of the sort which they shall choose, and the flesh of 
birds of the kind which they shall desire. And there shall ac- 



32 



company them fair damsels having large black eyes : resembling 
pearls hidden in their shells; as a reward for that which they 
shall have wrought. They shall not have therein any vain dis- 
course, or any charge of sin; but only the salutation of Peace! 
Peace! And the companions of the right hand (how happy shall 
the companions of the right hand be?) shall have their abode 
among lote trees free from thorns, and trees of Mauz loaded reg- 
ularly with their produce from top to bottom; under an extended 
shade, near a flowing water, and amidst fruits in abundance, 
which shall not fail, nor shall be forbidden to be gathered; and 
they shall repose themselves on lofty beds. Verily we have 
created the damsels of paradise by a peculiar creation; and we 
have made them virgins, beloved by their husbands, of equal age 
with them; for the delight of the companions of the right hand. 
Al Koran, Chap. LVI, Entitled, "The Inevitable." 



Note 10. After the final judgment all will be required to 
pass over the bridge Al-Sirat, whose width is less than that of a 
fine hair, and whence the wicked plunge into hell (Al-Hawiyat), 
while the virtuous cross in safety into heaven. — Koran. 



Note II. Hot winds from the desert which suddenly sweep 
over the country adjoining, often ruin the growing fruit. 



Note 12. Genii : Below the Archangels and those angels who 
pass their time in hymming the praise of God, in a class of beings 
called Ginns, or Genii, and who are mortal, and are divided into 
good and evil spirits. These Ginns are subdivided into several 
classes, such as Div, or giants; Per, or fairies, etc.— Buel. 



Note 13. The Cup of King Jamshyd was a miraculous divin- 
ing cup, typical of the 7 Heavens, 7 Planets, 7 Seas, etc. ; and was 
supposed to either contain, or to change whatever was drunk 
from it, into an elixir. 



Note 14. The sacred blue pigeons of Mecca. 



33 



Note 15. " Oman's Sea ;" A name sometimes given to the 
Persian Gulf which separates Persia and Arabia. 



Note 16, " Isis and Osiris ; Two of the great divinities of the 
ancient Egyptians. The constant weeping of Isis over the death 
of Osiris, her husband, was the source of the Nile's water, ac- 
cording to the belief of some. 



Note 17. "Bulbul;" The Nightingale. 



Note 18. "The Brahmana;" are the speculative theology 
and ritualism, built up through centuries by the scholarly priest- 
hood of India which consentrated all human interest in the power 
and prosperity of the church. 



Note 19. The custom of pouring wine on the ground is an 
old one in the Orient, and still continues in some countries of the 
East. It was a libation to Mother Earth, a sign of liberality, 
and often had a much more significant meaning, as is shown in 
the case of Ali. 



Note 20. ''The celebrated hanging gardens, raised upon 
many an arch proud to do service to the beautiful life above it, 
were built by Nebuchadnezzar to assuage the nostalgia, or home- 
sickness of his Median queen, who was unhappy midst the largest 
luxury and ever-varying entertainment of the prosperous and 
pleasure seeking city of Babylon. To Nebuchadnezzar Babylon 
was the fondest of Loves, and he spared neither time, pains nor 
substance to adorn the city which was the apple of his eye, and 
yet, even Nebuchadnezzar regarded these hanging gardens as the 
supreme effort of his life. Built in the center of a city which 
was in itself the center of the Babylonian dominions ; raised to 
the height of a mountain by terrace succeeding terrace ; furnished 
with every plant, shrub and tree which could give variety and 
beauty to the landscape; surmounted by the most superb of pal- 
aces upon which gold and silver, priceless gems and all that the 



34 



cunning of the builder and architect could contrive were lavished 
in the most wanton profusion, it would be strange indeed if these 
gardens did not surpass everything but the original Garden of 
Eden. * * * Yet today these hanging gardens, like the Tower 
of Babel and many another wonderful creation of man, are only a 
ruin of fragments of tile, brick and stone, while but a poor single 
tamarisk or date palm represents a once abundant foliage, in 
comparison with which the tropical luxuriance of the Amazon is 
but a sparcely wooded land. * * * ^11 of these splendors 
are now buried deep beneath the ground, and the last vestige of 
their existence almost, if not quite, obliterated by the carroding 
effects of time. * * * The very soil whereon they once 
flourished has become barren refusing to yield even a scanty 
subsistence to the miserable people who make their wretched 
homes in this now sterile, I may say God-cursed region. — Buel. 



Note 21. The Angel Israfil who has the most melodious 
voice of all God's creatures, and the angel destined to announce 
the day of judgment. — Koran. 



The End 



35 



The Meditations 

of 
All Ben Hafiz 



LeeRoy J. Tappan 



n 



L. C. Bindery 
1904 




■ Pit 

'•".•0 



m 



